


Morgul Shot

by o_rcrist



Series: Walk Again [2]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:54:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25275004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/o_rcrist/pseuds/o_rcrist
Summary: Morgul wounds never fully heal.The first year he had thought nothing of it. It was a simple ache that was gone in just a few days.The second year he hadn’t thought much of it since Bilbo’s arrival had prevented him from thinking of much else.This year though, he had recognized the pattern.
Relationships: Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield
Series: Walk Again [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1831096
Comments: 1
Kudos: 56





	Morgul Shot

The pain in his leg woke Kili. He grimaced as he rubbed at the old injury, quietly cursing. The fire in his hearth was low, the glowing embers telling him that the sun was still hours from rising.

He rubbed at his leg again as pain shot through it, once again cursing the orc that had shot him to the deepest pits of hell. It had been three years since they had escaped Thranduil’s prison, three years since he had been hit with the morgul shot. Three years of dealing with this pain in the week leading up to the anniversary of that cursed day.

The first year he had thought nothing of it. It was a simple ache that was gone in just a few days.

The second year he hadn’t thought much of it since Bilbo’s arrival had prevented him from thinking of much else.

This year though, he had recognized the pattern. The pain had started three days before, a dull throb at first. It had been easy to dismiss as a pulled muscle from training to hard at first but now it was like a fire burning up his leg, just as it had been in Lake-Town. He didn’t remember much from that ordeal, but he remembered the pain. It had been hot, yet ice-cold at the same time as it slowly spread throughout his body until it had almost consumed him.

He groaned again as pain shot through his leg, rubbing hard at the scarred tissue on his leg in a fruitless attempt to stop it. Pushing his fingers into the muscle, he got out of bed and limped over to the hearth. He threw a log onto the fire, using the poker to try and help stoke the embers back to life.

Thankfully the fire cooperated with him, small flames were soon licking the log. Satisfied that his room would soon warm back up, he limped over to his small kitchen area. The simple task of making tea turned into his own personal hell as he filled the kettle with water and set it to boil. The tea he took for pain relief was hidden in the back of his cupboard, hidden so that his family wouldn’t worry about him. He couldn’t keep the pressure on his injury, so letting go caused the pain to come back full force.

It didn’t take long for the kettle to start singing, and he quickly filled the waiting mug. The few minutes it took for the tea to steep felt like an eternity. He took small sips of it while it cooled down, chugging the half-full mug once it would no longer burn his throat.

He stumbled back to his bed, the tea already starting to work as it began to pull him towards sleep. His leg was still hurting but he hoped the tea would take that away soon. Tauriel had healed his leg, but he was beginning to realize that there was no such thing as a fully cured morgul wound.

He pulled his blankets over him, shivering slightly. Hopefully, he could get a few hours of restful sleep before he would have to wake up.

~~~

“Kili?”

He blearily opened his eyes, wincing as pain shot through his leg again. Bilbo was standing in front of him, his face full of worry.

“Are you alright? It’s past the tenth bell.”

Kili rubbed at his eyes as he pushed himself up.

“I’m fine,” Kili answered weakly. “Just overslept is all.”

Bilbo crossed his arms, giving Kili a look. “Are you sure? You left your tea out. You _never_ leave that out.”

Lying to Bilbo was always a waste of time. The hobbit could smell a white lie a mile away.

He let out a sigh, rubbing at his throbbing leg. “Remember when we escaped Thranduil?” he asked quietly.

Bilbo nodded. “I do, but what does that have to do with-?” The hobbit cut himself off as he looked at where Kili was clutching his leg. “Oh Kili.”

He sat down on the bed, pulling the blankets away from Kili’s legs. His nephew was clutching at his leg, his hand nearly white from the pressure he was putting on it. “The morgul shot?”

Kili nodded, his voice tight as he explained everything to Bilbo. “It wasn’t like this the past two years. It didn’t hurt this bad. I don’t know why, but this year is worse.”

Bilbo nodded. “There’s a storm brewing outside. I’ve seen this happen to some of my elderly relatives who had old injuries. Storms would aggravate the more. Something to do with the pressure they create in the atmosphere.”

Kili nodded again, his eyes had started to glaze over from the pain he was experiencing. “I’ll get ready. Just give me a few minutes. Can you tell Uncle Thorin I’ll be at council soon?”

Bilbo looked at him like he’d grown a second head. “You’re not going anywhere today. You’re staying right here and resting.”

“But Thorin-“

“Leave your Uncle and the rest of the family to me. What do you need?”

Kili leaned back against his pillows, groaning in defeat. “I don’t know. Usually, the tea works to help stop the pain, but it’s not working.” He shivered and pulled the blanket back up over him. “Maybe some more firewood? I’m cold.”

Bilbo frowned, putting the back of his hand to his nephew's forehead. His frown deepened. “Kili, you’re burning up.” Kili stared back at him blankly. “Did you get a fever the past two years?”

Kili shook his head.

Bilbo thought for a moment. “Okay, this is what we’re going to do. I’ll tell Thorin that you’re feeling under the weather and you’re taking a day of rest. I’ll go to the healers' wing and get some athelas. That should help with the pain and you’ll be able to get some proper sleep.”

Kili nodded in consent.

“If your fever doesn’t break by tomorrow night, we’ll need to tell Oin.” Kili nodded again. He was surprised that Bilbo wasn’t running to tell Oin about this right now but he would take it.

Bilbo gave him a soft smile, gently bumping his forehead against Kili’s. “Hang on, I’ll be back soon.”

With that Bilbo disappeared, quite literally. His uncle wasn’t above using his magic ring to expedite trips around the mountain if he had to.

Kili dozed in and out of sleep as he waited for Bilbo to return, the pain in his leg refusing to let up for even a moment.

Bilbo returned about an hour later, reappearing out of nowhere. He pocketed his ring in his coat and set the supplies he had brought down on the table next to Kili’s bed.

“Let’s see if this helps Little Wolf.”

Bilbo helped him out of his sleep clothes, tossing the sweat-soaked clothing into the dirty pile of clothing on the other side of the room. Kili pulled a blanket over his good leg, shivering as his fever continued to rise. Bilbo tossed another log onto the fire, setting the kettle over it.

While Bilbo waited for the water to boil, he grabbed the brush from Kili’s vanity and gently pulled his young nephew's hair into a messy knot. The lads' hair wasn’t long enough for an effective sleep braid, but this would keep his hair out of the way for the time being. Kili murmured quiet thanks, his world a blur of pain.

The kettle soon began to sing, Bilbo pulling it off the fire and emptying the hot water into a large bowl. He dropped several of the athelas leaves into it, using a clean cloth to stir the leaves around. A pleasant smell soon permeated the room, Kili feeling like he could breathe somewhat easier. Bilbo offered his exhausted nephew an encouraging smile. “Deep breathes Little Wolf. Let it calm your mind.”

Kili nodded, sinking into his pillows as Bilbo gently cleaned the area around his old wound. The skin where the arrowhead had pierced his leg was bright red, the scarred skin sensitive to the touch. “You got the whole arrowhead out right?” Bilbo asked quietly. “When we were on the edge of the lake?”

Kili nodded. “Fili dug it out while we were on the rocks. He double-checked before he stitched me up at Bard’s.”

“Good. I was worried there for a second.”

Kili gave Bilbo a weak smile. “You’re always worried.”

Bilbo smiled in return. “That tends to happen when your family members have a habit of getting seriously injured. How’s your leg feeling?”

“Better,” Kili answered tiredly. “It doesn’t hurt as much.”

With a nod of satisfaction, Bilbo set the cloth back in the steaming bowl. He picked up the metal tin he had swiped from Oin, opening it to reveal a paste. “This has mint and athelas in it, so it should help keep the pain away.” He gently massaged the paste into Kili’s skin, watching his young nephew carefully for signs of pain. Kili grimaced occasionally as Bilbo kneaded, but didn’t voice any complaints.

As Bilbo wiped his hands clean, Kili made himself as comfortable as he could. He was so tired and just wanted to sleep. Bilbo carefully lifted Kili’s leg, putting a pillow underneath it to elevate it. Hopefully, it would make him more comfortable. Bilbo pulled the blankets up, making sure that Kili was fully covered so he could sweat this fever out.

“Sleep Kili. I’ll be here if you need me.”

Kili needed no more encouragement, allowing sleep to claim him.

~~~

Kili slept on and off throughout the day, Bilbo watching over his nephew carefully as he cleaned up the room. He had known something had been off with Kili the past few days, but as hard as he tried he hadn’t been able to figure out what it was.

When Kili hadn’t shown up for breakfast this morning and then missed meeting with his archer recruits, he’d known something was terribly wrong. As much as Thorin and Dwalin grumbled about the boys, Fili and Kili were anything but lazy. The boys rarely overslept or missed meeting with their recruits. Thorin had looked concerned, but he, unfortunately, had a mountain to run and the latest emergency had prevented him from checking on Kili that morning. Dis was in Dale negotiating treaties with Bard while Fili was out on patrol for the week. So the task had fallen to Bilbo.

He’d gently knocked on Kili’s door but had received no answer. Bilbo had let himself in and immediately knew something was wrong. Kili’s tea was on the table and he never left that out. All three of the sons of Durin suffered from chronic pain as a result of their injuries from the Battle of Five Armies and all three of them stubbornly hid it from their families. Thorin had a similar tin of tea in their own kitchen, hidden in the back of the cupboard away from prying eyes. The three stubborn dwarves all kept the tins hidden away unless they absolutely needed it and he’d never seen one of them leave it out so openly.

Seeing Kili in such a state brought back memories of Lake Town Bilbo had tried to suppress. Kili had been ghostly pale then, walking with a limp that he had desperately tried to hide. They all should have taken better care of him then, but the Quest had come first, the gold madness already starting to take a hold over Thorin.

After leaving Kili, Bilbo had gone straight to Thorin. “Kili?” he’d asked wordily. It wasn’t like his nephew to miss training with his archer recruits.

“He’s not feeling well today,” Bilbo answered. “He just needs a day of rest. I think he overdid it with the planning for Durin’s Day next week.”

Thorin frowned. “Do you need help?”

Bilbo shook his head. “I’ve got him for the day. Can you have Balin drop Frodo off with Ori in the library after his lessons?”

His husband nodded. “Send word if you need help. I’ll come once I’m done with the council this afternoon.” Thorin glared down at the maps and scattered documents in front of him. “Squabbling children.”

Bilbo smiled, pressing a soft kiss to Thorin’s lips. “Don’t worry. I’ve got the lad.”

With that, Bilbo had slipped his magic ring on again and gone to the healers' wards. It was easy to sneak in a grab a few leaves of atheles and the tin. Oin would question him incessantly if he had asked for the herbs and he wasn’t prepared to answer those questions. For whatever reason, Kili had kept this to himself and Bilbo would allow him that for a while longer. 

It had been easy enough to care for Kili’s old injury, Bilbo doing his best to not cause Kili any additional pain. He had a mug of Kili’s tea ready to go if the lad woke, but his exhausted nephew slept most of the day away. He only woke long enough to take sips of water before falling back to sleep. Bilbo periodically used the cloth to clean the area around the injury before massaging more of the paste into Kili’s skin.

As promised, Thorin appeared a few hours later, worry clouding his face as he looked at Kili. “What’s wrong?” he asked Bilbo.

His husband clutched at his pipe. “The morgul wound in his leg. It started hurting a few days ago.”

Thorin gripped the edge of Kili’s bed, his fingers digging into the wood. “What? Tauriel healed him of that wound.”

Bilbo nodded in agreement. “She did, but I don’t think this is a wound that will ever fully heal. That morgul shot – it was a product of such immense evil and hatred, I don’t think any elf could fully heal that, not even the Lord Elrond.” He looked at Thorin sadly. “He said it’s hurt him every year on the anniversary of the escape from Thranduil.”  
  


That was like a punch in the gut to Thorin. “T-three years?” he hissed. “Why hasn’t he said anything?”

“He didn’t realize it was a pattern until this year. It sounds like the past two years it was more of an annoyance, something he could work through. But with the storm outside, it’s made the pain unbearable for him.”

“ _Irakdashat_ ,” Thorin murmured, all but collapsing into the armchair next to Bilbo. “It is better now?”

His husband nodded. “I swiped some athelas from Oin. It’s helping to keep the pain at bay so he can rest. I’m hoping he’ll sweat the fever out overnight.”

Both of them watched over Kili in a silent vigil for the remainder of the night. Kili woke occasionally but Thorin found it easy to soothe him back to sleep. They checked his fever hourly and it finally broke somewhere around the fourth bell. Both of them had let out a sigh of relief as they’d removed Kili’s sweat soaked blanket and replaced it with a fresh one.

When Kili fully woke that morning, the pain in his leg was still there but it was only a dull throb. He still felt horrible, but he supposed that was to be expected. Bilbo was puttering around his room, offering Kili a small smile and putting his finger to his lips as he pointed to the end of Kili’s large bed. He looked over and found Thorin sound asleep as the edge of it. 

Kili nodded, shifting slightly so he could sink back into his pillows. “Rest Kili. No one will notice your absence today,” Bilbo said quietly.

“Are you going to tell Amad and Fili?” Kili asked him tiredly. His mother had been through so much and he really didn’t want her to know that he was still hurting. She couldn’t do anything to help him and it would break her heart. Fili would start blaming himself all over again if he learned about this.

Bilbo shook his head. “No, this is between us. Now sleep.”

Kili nodded again, letting his eyes fall shut. Bilbo fell into the armchair, the tears that he had held back falling freely down his face. His nephew was young and Yavanna willing had a long life ahead of him. Kili had at least another 200 years of life ahead of him and every year he would have to suffer this pain. Bilbo wiped at his eyes, vowing to himself that for as long as he lived, he would make sure Kili never went through this alone again.

**Author's Note:**

> Four years later and I'm finally back.


End file.
